Interstim Therapy

InterStim Therapy Treatment

InterStim Therapy treats urinary retention (inability to completely empty the bladder) and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary leakage and significant symptoms of urgency-frequency.

InterStim Therapy also treats bowel incontinence (the loss of bowel control leading to an involuntary passage). This can range from an occasional leakage to losing control of the bowels completely.

InterStim Therapy is a proven Neuromodulation therapy that targets the communication problem between the brain and the nerves that control the bladder or bowel. If those nerves are not communicating correctly, the body will not function properly.

InterStim Therapy was created by Medtronic, and over 125,000 people worldwide have received InterStim Therapy. It has been FDA approved since 1997 for urge incontinence and since 1999 for urinary retention and urgency-frequency.

In a long-term clinical study, it was found that 59% of patients with urge incontinence, who received InterStim Therapy and completed follow-ups with their doctor, had at least 50% fewer leaks per day when compared to the number of leaks before therapy.

InterStim should be used after you have tried other treatments such as medications and behavioral therapy and they have not worked, or you could not tolerate them.

After talking with the doctor to see if InterStim therapy is right for you, you may decide to try InterStim Therapy by going through an evaluation. You will have the opportunity to test InterStim Therapy without making a long-term commitment. The evaluation generally lasts a week. Before and during the evaluation, you will be asked to track your symptoms to help determine how well the therapy works for you. Based on the outcome of the evaluation, you and Dr. Kowalczyk will determine the next steps for your treatment.

IMPORTANT! All information presented in this website is intended for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

IMPORTANT! All information presented in this website is intended for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.